A Castle Yarn

A Castle Yarn

    To observe Castle Kilchurn provides an ideal opportunity to conjure a visionary yarn. It would be left to the reader of his tale to believe or not believe the tale’s validity. Who’s to say if the reader likes or dislikes the content of the tale, but what if it is truth from start to finish? This teller of tales leaves it to the reader to determine the tale’s worth or unimportance. If it has been read but once, the story will draw the interest of others without a doubt! Of course the teller of the tale is me and I think this is a tale worthy of telling. Not only should it be told, but, it should be read and shared with others. Few words will be wasted in the tale about the history of this castle.

    The history of Castle Kilchurn pales when a visitor has the pleasure of a fortnight’s stay within the primordial and ancient walls. Just by observing the architecture it is impossible to conceive what happens on a lonely dark night in Kilchurn. Almost always a new visitor’s night is filled with imagined events that will haunt them for many days after their usually short-lived stay within Kilchurn. Yes, the tales of Kilchurn have thrilled tourists and countrymen alike for centuries. The tales are pristine, timeless, and continue the countryside of Kilchurn with a mix of seaside history and magic. Kilchurn sits on ancient ground complete with caves, colored rocks, and rocky crags of sandstone, black basalt, and white chalk. It is a breathtaking landscape that is considered nothing less than magical. The history of this castle includes being the home of several prestigious leaders, the site of many battles, the site of brilliant tales of trickery and magical feats.
    One of the most memorable tales of Kilchurn relates the story of Gideon Crumbley a kind wizard and a powerful and benevolent dragon known as Zerelth. Gideon Crumbley was not the typical wizard of his time. He did not wear a pointed cap. His robe was not covered with mystical designs. In fact Crumbley looked much like all other normal men of medieval times. He possessed a soft yet firm voice. His beard was of medium length and salt and pepper in color. He preferred standing to sitting and striding to staying stationary. He appeared when one least expected his presence. He was constantly in a hurry. He was a trustworthy wizard. He preferred to be called Crumbley.

    Dragons were a large part of ancient Irish folklore and were recounted in many of their legends and history. Dragons as older folks know were huge serpent-like animals. They were fabulous and usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent with a crested head and enormous claws. Their tail was snake-like and they had wings which gave them the ability to fly. Some even possessed the ability to blow flames from their mouths. Zerelth possessed all of the afore mentioned qualities. However, contrary to most of the early dragons, Zerelth was a good virtuous dragon. A bit on the ornery side, but deep down he was a kind and gentle beast. In fact he delighted in helping those who were in need of assistance just to survive the hardships of ancient times. Many, many years ago when Zerelth was but a dragonling, he made up his mind to do as much good for others as he could possibly do for his lifetime upon the Emerald Isle. He was the offspring of the famous dragons Draco and Ginarth. They had for years kept watch over the Castle Kilchurn. It was there several years after the ancient structure had been abandoned, that Zerelth had been hatched high upon one of Kilchurn’s towering parapets. It was through years of good parenting by both Draco and Ginarth that this young giant of a beast became the warm and loving guardian of Castle Kilchurn along with the wizard known as Gideon Crumbley. Through the years Crumbley and Zerelth became as close as a father and son. Zerelth was to become the friend and guardian of many a visitor who spent a fortnight at Kilchurn. Crumbley desired to wait for the opportune moments for his presence to be recognized. Zerelth was fun-loving and kind to all God’s beasts. He both respected and loved humans, though; he came into contact with people very seldom. His experiences with the human race left him puzzled most of the time for more time than not when he approached humans. They either ran in fear or rose up in defense to this giant of the skies and earth.

    A few years after reaching adult status, Zerelth had the good fortune to meet a young peasant boy. Connor was the son of the local miller and his wife, who lived just outside the walls of Castle Kilchurn. The young lad and Zerelth met in the dense forest some miles from the castle. Conor had taken a spill in the forest and was hopelessly pinned beneath a tree. The lad had been hiking through the dense trees when the bad luck struck. He was alone and there were no prospects of escape from his predicament. As fate would have it Zerelth was on a short flight over the forest when he heard the cries of distress from Conor. The young dragon flew down to the ground and approached the boy quite cautiously. Seeing the situation was not going to get any better for the boy, the dragon swiftly brought his huge tail to bear on the tree that had pinned Conor so helplessly. With a quick swish of his tail the boy was immediately released from his treelike captor. He jumped up and ran some distance and took refuge behind a large and protective bush. Zerelth began to approach the lad ever so slowly. When the dragon was within earshot he stopped in his tracks. He took a deep breath and introduced himself to Conor. “I am Zerelth, son of Draco and Ginarth”, he announced in a quiet yet friendly manner. He continued, “I am the protector of all nearby and within the walls of Castle Kilchurn.” Conor was stunned at what he was seeing and hearing. After a bit of time, he replied to the dragon, “I am Conor, son of the village miller, Seth.” Time stood still. Both dragon and boy were speechless for what seemed hours. Over the next several minutes the lad and dragon spoke back and forth with amazing familiarity. It was as if they had known each other for a long time. Neither child nor beast was hesitant as they talked to one another. They had formed a bond that would last forever. Before they parted, that day, they struck a pact. They promised each other that they would keep this friendship a secret and that they meet regularly to chat and look for adventure together. The pact having been agreed upon the two went their separate ways having promised to meet again at the same place and time some two days hence.

    Youngster and beast met several times over the next few months. They truly enjoyed each other’s company. Even though much of their time together was spent in deep conversation, the two found plenty of time to explore the far countryside surrounding Castle Kilchurn. They trusted and respected each other deeply. Zerelth even let Conor ride upon his back on many of their expeditions. The young lad was a good friend to the dragon and the dragon returned his respect in kind. Their periods together deepened their bond day by day. The two were thrilled to be together and that time was truly a time they both cherished.

    It was late in the fall that year when tragedy struck Castle Kilchurn and threatened not only its existence but the lives of all the villagers who lived near the castle. The castle and most of the villager’s homes that stood nearby were put to flames by the infamous Ben Air, a mean and vicious dragon, who thrived upon attacking and pillaging. Conor and Zerelth had been on a short adventure that day in the forest. The stench of burning first caught their attention. Shortly as they wandered toward the village, they became quickly aware of the building flames. They were at a loss as to how they could help stop all the burning and destruction. Zerelth with Crumbley’s inspiration engaged the cruel Ben Vair. The two dragons circled one another looking for an opening to make a flying charge. It was Conor’s friend who made the first move. Zerelth seized upon a split second to hit the vicious Ben Vair. Having caught the attacking dragon by surprise, Zerelth darted head long into Ben Vair almost grounding the mean dragon with the force of his direct hit. Taken completely by surprise, Ben Vair bounced to the earth, hesitated briefly, recovered his senses and flew off in haste. He wanted no further physical damage to his body or his boundless ego. Zerelth too recovered and went instantly to Conor’s side. Conor was still frozen in the moment. He had no clues as to how to save the village or the castle. Crumbley once again inspired Zerelth to react without hesitation to the fire at this moment the blaze was gradually getting out of control of the villagers. They had been trying without much success to bring the fire under control. When they saw Zerelth they went into a panic as they thought this dragon was surely going to cause more devastation. To everyone’s amazement and with Crumbley’s conviction, Zerelth quickly circled the massive fire and began fanning the flames. He kept making large circle passes over the burning area. In an instant the young dragon hovered ever so close to the blaze and spit a bright and fiery breath over the flames. ”Whoosh”, the flames were snuffed out. Just as quickly as the whole situation had begun it had ended. With that Zerelth flew quickly out of sight and back to his lair. Everyone who had witnessed this scene stood by in total amazement. Everyone was speechless. Few could believe what their eyes had been privy to such a performance. Most felt it was a good omen. All of the villagers were befuddled by what they had witnessed the dragon Zerelth accomplish. He had salvaged their village homes as well as their beloved Castle Kilchurn. However, it was not long before all were singing the praises of this gigantic beast. They knew not of Zerelth’s relationship with the young Conor. They were totally unaware of Crumbley’s presence. They had no clues as to why the dragon had chosen their village to protect. For now the secret was known only by the dragon and the miller’s son. All was well in the realm surrounding Castle Kilchurn. Crumbley was also pleased by the turn of events.

Word count = 1823